Orange County emergency drill attendees fall ill after catered meal

Key points

• Over 20 Orange County employees who participated in a September 9 emergency operations center exercise in Goshen reported symptoms similar to food poisoning, including hours of violent vomiting.
• County Executive Steven Neuhaus confirmed that the emergency services department is investigating the incident and stated that the caterer will not retain its county contract if it is found responsible.
• A memo from Jackie Lawler, director of Epidemiology and Public Health Planning in the County Department of Health, requested that ill attendees submit stool or vomitus samples to help identify the virus, bacteria, or toxin causing the illness.
• The catered food was provided by a vendor that is put out to bid annually by the county.

Background

Recent public health discussions have highlighted the potential for long-term gastrointestinal issues following acute foodborne illnesses, such as post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome. Additionally, earlier this year, a major coffee chain removed a specific blending powder from its products after employees reported respiratory symptoms, underscoring the importance of rigorous food and product safety protocols in both private and public sector catering.

Why it matters

This incident raises concerns about the safety standards of vendors contracted for critical government functions. If the outbreak is confirmed, it could lead to the termination of the vendor's contract and may prompt a review of food safety protocols for future county events and emergency preparedness exercises.

What to watch

The county is actively investigating the incident and awaiting the results of the submitted samples to identify the specific pathogen. Depending on the findings, the county may terminate the contract with the food vendor and implement stricter safety measures for future catered events.